Water district to give residents land for vegetative buffer

February 22, 2013|Arun Sivasankaran, asivasankaran@tribune.com

The Sunshine Water Control District has dropped its initial plan to clear 45 feet of vegetation from its rights of way along Canal Z in Coral Springs. It will now give up 10 feet for residents living on the canal to create a vegetative buffer for their properties.

Residents who attended a recent joint-workshop meeting involving city and district officials sought an assurance that the district would not, at any point in the future, take back the land given to them to create the vegetative buffer. Members of the district will discuss giving the residents a license that cannot be revoked unilaterally.

The relationship between the city and the district, which was initially frosty, has improved over time, but issues remain. The district is of the opinion that state statute gives them the legal right to clear its rights of way along the canals within its jurisdiction, but the city, which is opposed to clear-cutting of the canal banks, says the district is not exempt from its tree ordinance.

At the workshop, Mayor Vince Boccard attempted to find a middle path that would be acceptable for both the residents living along canal Z and the district.

"We are not trying to tell you how to run the district," Boccard said. "The district has responsibilities. We have the responsibility to look after the interests of our residents. We should try to make this as painless as possible for residents; this is a very delicate thing."

Dave Hulett, district president, said the district knew that the rights-of-way clearing part of its capital-improvement program would become the most controversial. "The steps we are taking are needed and important. We have designed a program that is as customer friendly as we can make it. It is highly responsible and exactly what needs to be done."

The district needs access to its rights of way to remove silt from the canals and to widen them, Hulett said. "In some areas, silt has built up so high in the canals that there is only 4 to 5 inches of water. A lot of our canals weren't dug to the needed depth and width. The system doesn't function the way it should."

The district plans to widen the canals by 10 feet and would need 10 feet for access, said Rhon Ernest-Jones, the district engineer.

"Over time, people have lost track of the real property line and have become accustomed to 45 feet," Ernest-Jones said. "There are trees, swing sets, fences and other things within the district's rights-of-way. We need to do work on the canals to decrease the risk of flooding in the area. We have limited space in which to operate."

Mike Saltzman, whose property abuts Canal Z, did not want residents to be held responsible for the maintenance of district property. "We may not own it, but we have been maintaining the district's property for 50 years. I now don't see the need to maintain the district's property. It can't be split down the middle just for the district's benefit."

"Why not widen from the other side," Boccard asked. "Why not go deeper instead of widening the canal, so that some of the exotic stuff can stay?"

According to Ernest-Jones, "We have 45 feet on the south side of the canal and 15 feet on the north side. There is not much leeway to expand in the north side. It is more expensive to dig it down; that would drive up the cost of construction."

District Manager Craig Wrathell talked about the "positive, good pressure" from affected residents that forced the district to rethink its strategy. "We have had some stumbles, but we have a great plan. We are trying to prepare the drainage district for the next 50 years," he said.

"Our responsibility is to the taxpayer," Vice Mayor Tom Powers added. "It shouldn't be what is good for the district; it should be what is good to the taxpayer. We need to make sure it is the best use of taxpayer money."

Commissioner Larry Vignola said, "It is a trust issue for the residents. A lot of them feel that they don't know where you really are on the issue."

Gary Runge is among those who would be affected if the district goes ahead with its plans to clear its rights-of-way along the 22 miles of canals that it controls. He seeks an environmental assessment study of the project. He also wants an independent contractor to look at the project.

The district's area comprises approximately 3,000 acres and is bounded on the north side by Wiles Road, on the south side by a canal south of Royal Palm Boulevard, on the west side by the L-36 Canal located west of the Sawgrass Expressway, and on the east side by a line just west of Rock Island Road, which is north of Sample Road. There are about 16,000 properties within the district.

The district has completed work on a pilot rights-of-way clearing project along Canal AA-BB. Of the 86 affected properties, 46 required some sort of clearing.The right-of-way clearing project is part of a $19 million capital-improvement plan. Work on two water pumps has been completed, while a few culverts have been replaced.